


Spies Tied by Love

by observantgal



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27119788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/observantgal/pseuds/observantgal
Summary: This is a part of a bigger story. Hope you enjoy reading it! Do come back for the other chapters!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This is a part of a bigger story. Hope you enjoy reading it! Do come back for the other chapters!

**Chapter-1 The Meeting**

It was one of those regular days at the facility, except for the new team of agents gathered in Meeting Room No 12.

Mr. Phil Coulson being a technical operative, and second in command of one of the most powerful intelligence agencies of the world, had called for his top choice of secret agents to discuss something, that he claimed to be grimly urgent and a matter of prime concern.

Mr. Coulson looked anxious as he ardently typed on his laptop. Sat across the table, Agent Peggy Carter worked on her phone, while Agent Natasha Romanoff tried to puzzle what the situation could have possibly been, that demanded their immediate attendance. Agent Sam Wilson was on his phone, pacing across the room near the door. From the tone of his voice and the speed at which words exited his mouth, he seemed to be extremely annoyed with the person on the other side of the call. They were all waiting for Agent Steve Rogers. A new face was in the room, sat quietly next to Mr. Coulson, sipping coffee.

A dozen of ceiling lights lit up the windowless room and the aroma of ground coffee, lemon tea, and honey mingled with the stale and dingy smell escaping the air conditioning vents. The odour creeped into their noses. The constant beeps from the PBX machine cutting through the deafening silence made the ambience more awkward.

After a few minutes, Agent Rogers rushed in, apologized for the delay and shamelessly blamed it on the Records Department. He had a reputation with the Records Department for being their top five annoying agents who belittled paperwork, waited until the last moment to turn them in, and somehow managed to do it incorrectly 75% of the time. They hated his guts, but that never stopped them from letting him escape, even if he was wanted by the second in command.

Noticing everybody present, Agent Wilson hung up the phone and joined them. Mr. Coulson pretended to have completed his work and slammed the laptop close. He clenched his palms over the table and took a quick look at each one of them. Being popularly known to be a _No-Nonsense Man,_ getting his point across with zero reservations whatsoever, was his virtue.

“I do not wish to waste any more time so I’ll come right to the point,” he said. “The operatives from our foreign intelligence department have reported a breach in our database system that holds codes for the ciphered government information related to identities and medical records of civilians.” He paused for a second for them to take in the news. Then he continued, “Our security system being equipped with numerous layers of firewalls and heavy encryption mechanism, the only possible explanation is that the attempt to access the database must’ve been made by someone from the inside. This is a matter of national importance and calls for immediate action. With prior permission from Mr. Lee Carper, the head of our organization, I appoint all four of you to investigate into this.”

Pointing at the gent next to him he continued, “This gentleman here is Mr. James Buchanan Barnes. He is an expert and a scholar, with experience in high-tech equipment, communication interception and cryptanalysis. He will be a part of your team in this probe.”

Barnes let out a nervous smile and slightly raised his arm and waved faintly, in an attempt to greet them, who were still trying to digest the facts.

Coulson continued, “If you do not have any questions, the meeting is over. Please remember that nobody outside the six of us can know about this. Thankyou.” Immediately after, he re-opened his laptop and started typing.

The four of them appeared to be have been lost in their mind palaces, scampering around, rescheduling assignments, prioritizing tasks, questioning time limits and scheming on where to start looking for clues. The incessant beeping of the telephone machine dragged them all back into reality and sighing almost together they got up and left.

Coulson ensured that they had passed the lobby leading to the meeting room and turned towards Barnes. With a radiant smile he said, “Mr. Lee Carper mentioned that you have had the privilege to work in some of the well reputed intelligence departments. I am sure you are aware that the conversation earlier was not out of spite and is quite normal here.”

Barnes trying to look calm replied, “Of course Sir! I completely understand”

“Well, in that case, allow to me show you to your desk,” he got up, buttoned his suit jacket and left the room with his laptop. Barnes followed him out the door.

To Barnes’ surprise, it was in no way just a _desk._ Huge screens, computers, servers, wires, high tech equipment and a desk with a chair in the middle of the room. It looked like a scaled down master control room, brought to life, straight out of a futuristic science fiction movie. He gazed around in awe. Amazement didn’t quite cover how he felt, as he brushed his fingers over the keys and buttons. He could only have ever imagined such a workplace, especially for a nerd like him, and that would have been one of his wildest dreams.

Coulson turned to him, “You report directly to me Mr. Barnes. I hope we see the end of this situation at the earliest. I wish you the very best.”

“Yes Sir!” were the only words Barnes managed to articulate. While he struggled to conceal his enthusiasm, his sparkling eyes and sincere smile gave it away.

Coulson shook Barnes’ hand and left. On the way to his cabin in the hallway, he noticed Carter, Romanoff, Wilson and Rogers discussing and decided to join them.

“Coulson, when did you find out about the report?” asked Wilson.

“The report came directly to me last night. Whoever did it, knows that they are under my radar now. Time is our enemy and apparently, our security systems need an upgrade.” said Coulson.

“Does Mr. Carper suspect anyone?” asked Romanoff.

“I am afraid no. He is obviously more terrified. But he puts his entire trust in us. So, you guys get to work quickly. Defer all the cases that you can and work on the leads Barnes will give you.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“Phil, are you sure we can trust the new guy?” asked Rogers.

“Well you see,” he said, “he is a direct recommendation from Mr. Carper. And he has had experience in other intelligence departments before. He is good with surveillance and tech support on field. Guiding agents in and out of dangerous missions is what he is known to be a master of. His records are clear too. We can trust him.”

“Alright, if you say so” said Carter.

“Okay, see you guys” Coulson waved them bye and walked towards his cabin.

They all had hurriedly made it to the meeting leaving their works behind, and with no leads in sight for now, they looked exasperated.

“So, where do we start from?” began Romanoff.

Before anyone could answer, Wilson burst out, “Alright listen to me, we all basically abandoned everything in the middle to meet up here and we don’t even know where to start. How about we give the new guy some time to settle down and figure out things so he can ‘guide’ us. And until then, we sort our craps out. I need to get this thing done immediately and the thought that every minute I waste here, gives my suspect an escape window of 2 hours is consuming me. So, let me know when you have accumulated some material leads. Until then, I am unreachable to all of you.” And he stormed off calling someone on his phone.

“I also need to complete my paperwork… you know… Charlie never lets me go… so I’ll see you guys later too,” Rogers added and left. 

“Charlie?” asked Carter.

“Yeah, she is the new intern and helps him with the records and stuff” shrugged Romanoff and they too left to tend to their assignments.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a part of a bigger story. Hope you enjoy reading it! Do come back for the other chapters!

**Chapter-2**

Barnes began accommodating himself to his new space. The energy this room gave off was exhilarating for him. He always had fantasized about such control rooms, and now there he was, flesh and blood, in one of the highest tech-supported facilities. He felt electric and nervous at the same time. The first thing that came to his mind to calm his nerves down was coffee. He considered having a cup and start looking for clues.

The cafeteria was on the topmost floor. An enormous glass dome of a skylight illuminated the area with natural light and the huge hall housed several round tables with stacks of chairs in the corners. The vending and dispensing machines were installed next to the kitchen so Barnes went there directly. He stood against a table, checking his phone, while the machine brewed his coffee. A bunch of interns giggled at a table not far away and it was evident from their whispers, they were gossiping. He tried to eavesdrop when all of a sudden, a shrill voice shrieked, “Oh my God!” and slowly reduced to a murmur, “I told you, didn’t I? You guys didn’t believe me”

“Well, we didn’t think it was this serious, Charlie!” went the other.

“Whatever dude, the stats are out, and just like I guessed, the more number of cases solved successfully, for the current year, again by to the unbeatable Mr. Rogers and the invincible Ms. Carter! You will not believe this when I tell you, but I have been rooting for them from the day I started working here!”

“They truly are a power couple!”

“OMG…Yes they are! Have you seen their chemistry when they are working together?! I hope they invite us to their wedding…”

“OMG Yes! Who do you think is going to propose first?”

Barnes chose not to listen anymore, so the voices muffled on their own as he shifted his focus on the dispenser. His coffee was ready and off he went.

Later in the afternoon Carter, Romanoff and Rogers were gathered in the ‘Control Room’ to catch up with the case. They also thought it would be polite to familiarize themselves with the new guy. Romanoff being the more genial of the three started first. She said, “So, Barnes, what have you been up to?”

“I am glad you asked Ma’am!” Barnes squealed. Realizing how high his voice sounded, he toned it down and continued, “I have been running trials and tests, and assessing the security systems and the lock codes. As suspected, the breach could’ve been by someone from inside the facility. But, eliminating the off chance of remote access into the systems using permitted codes, or unauthorized access into the database, would be nothing but foolishness.”

“Like Hacking?” asked Rogers.

“Exactly Hacking” nodded Barnes. “I need a little more time to ensure which one it was that lead to the breach. But apart from that, Mr. Coulson has asked me to hand over these earpieces to you.”

“This is your Ma’am”, he said as he advanced towards Romanoff.

“You can call me Natasha,” she said, accepting her device.

“Duly noted Ma’am. Um… I… I mean Natasha. Click this button and go for Barnes. They are embedded with radio beacons. I can get your exact locations in real-time in any kind of a distress situation. Real-time maps accessed from the GPS Satellites are mapped to my system and I will be able to assist you to safety and provide all the info you might need. From tracking underground locations to finding a simple Form you might need to submit somewhere; I will be at your service.” He couldn’t believe how fast he was speaking. It was hard to contemplate whether the voluble info dump he whipped up, was because of excitement or merely the extra caffeine from earlier, acting up. He hoped with all his heart that no one noticed.

“That’s impressive Barnes!” said Carter, trying on her device.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” he said catching his breath.

“Keep up the good work! Also, I go by Carter”

“Thank you, Ma’am… Sorry Carter”

He looked at Rogers for a similar clearance, and Rogers didn’t miss his cue. “You can call me Steve,” he said. Rogers’ affectionate smile bore a profound sense of calm and amiability, a glimmer enough for Barnes to feel welcomed and a part of their team. His breathing returned to normal and the racing thoughts gently eased off. He nodded meekly and replied, “Okay, got it.”

The three of them tried their sets on to understand how it functioned and after a few trial checks, the ladies shook hands with Barnes and took off. Once they were alone, Rogers seized the opportunity to ask Barnes for a favor, the one he felt too embarrassed to ask in front of the others. Without wasting an instant, he spoke, “So… Barnes, since you mentioned about the database and stuff, you think you would be able to find me an easier way to handle my paperwork? I sure am very good at it, but those Records people...” his eyes narrowed in rage and lips pursed as if holding back from saying something, he continued, “they always seem to come up with these new rules. At this point I feel like they are making stuff up just to, I don’t know mess with me or something? You think you could help me out a little?”

Barnes was astounded as his eyes widened, but he managed to shift his gaze quickly before it gave him away. He scratched the back of his head and replied, “Umm… sure Steve. I… I can... I can do that. Yeah”

“Oh, thank you so much, man! Of course, I don’t want this to interrupt your work in any way, you know…” Steve shrugged while fidgeting with his device.

“Oh, don’t… don’t worry about it, Steve. It’s not a problem at all!”

“Cool man! Thank you. See you around then?”

“Yup. See ya”

Rogers pretended to examine his earpiece sheepishly, while Barnes walked to the back of his desk and pretended to work. After a few seconds, they looked up at the same time and accidentally met each other’s eyes. The gaze continued a little longer than usual, and to turn away now was too late, but so was maintaining it. Before it could get any more awkward, they smiled vaguely and nodded in acknowledgment.

Rogers ambled backward towards the door with the device in hand, roughly estimating the lowest number of strides that would bolt him out of there. So absorbed was his mind in counting down the steps, it made him overlook the fact that he was in a room with restricted space, and swaying his long hands while walking was not the best thing to do. He bumped into a cabinet knocking something off of it and tripped trying to catch it before it hit the ground. But it was too late and the damage was done. He went red as a beetroot because this had never happened to him before. And to be all fingers and thumb, though for the first time, was not an impression he was planning to make in front of Barnes. He fetched it without looking up and plopped it on a table nearby. Barnes couldn’t make out what it was but tried extremely hard not to crack up. He didn’t move his eyes off the computer screen for one second and pretended to not have witnessed any of that. After Rogers left and the doors closed, he laughed quietly until he got it all out of his system. When he was done, he let out a huge sigh and got back to work.

****

The next day Coulson called for everyone to meet in his cabin, for Barnes had found out something, that he wished to share. Natasha looked badass, as usual, but also was very awake for someone who hadn’t slept for more than eight hours, in three days. Carter looked elegant, as they waited for Barnes to start. But Steve looked strained and was wearing the same clothes from last day, an indication that he spent the previous night working at the facility. Sam wasn’t able to join them as he was busy with another assignment but promised to catch up after a few days.

Coulson gestured Barnes to start and he began, “Like I mentioned yesterday, we can’t entirely rule out the possibility of remote access or hacking. If it was physically accessed at the facility, it would have been recorded in the system’s log. Also, there was no unauthorized or suspicious personnel entry recorded on the surveillance cameras.” He played a few sped-up clips from the surveillance cameras on the big screen behind Coulson’s desk. He continued, “Even if they did try to delete the log, the systems are configured in such a way, that at the least, a subtle trail will be found. I didn’t find any such trail, so we can rule out the physical access at the facility.”

Coulson didn’t want to rule it out entirely, but let him continue anyway.

“Along the same line goes remote access. The log would have recorded the access even if it was made from somewhere else because passwords were used. Which again, is not the case. So, to conclude, yes, we were hacked. But thankfully, our countermeasures were strong enough to report the breach quickly, therefore alerting everyone. The good news is, none of our data has been compromised. And with their IP address, we will be able to locate the place from where the attempt was made. But they have used VPN, for obvious reasons, and I will let you all know once I have cracked it. That’s it for now.”

Coulson seemed pretty impressed and asked, “How long do you need to for that?”

“I don’t know Sir. But I will do it as soon as possible.”

They spent around another twenty minutes over possible scenarios and other things and later dispersed. Outside the cabin, Barnes walked up to Steve hoping to strike up a conversation. He started, “Hey Steve, so about the paperwork that you were asking me yesterday, how about today in the evening?”

“Hey! Yes, that would be great Barnes! Are you sure it won’t be a trouble for you?” Steve asked clasping his hands together.

“No, no, of course not”

“Okay then, I will finish my work until then and we can meet downstairs at the Archives. How about 6?”

“Yes. Sounds good.”

“Alright… see you then!”

That afternoon flew by so fast, that Barnes didn’t realize he had spent it entirely on reading through anything and everything related to documentation until he had made it to the last of it. From rules about deadlines for submitting a report, intimating a delay in submission, to penalties for non- adherence of the same, he had gone through all of them, with the main objective of finding harmless escape clauses or ambiguities.

It was half-past five when he made it to the Archive Room. He tried breaking the ice with the staff there and handled it pretty well. As opposed to the picture painted by Rogers, he realized that these people were very pleasant and just doing their jobs. They explained to him how the filing system worked and the various steps involved in archiving, among other things. Rogers arrived at quarter past six and was greeted by a throng of interns. He was popular among them but it would be a surprise if he wasn’t. Tall, handsome, charming, smart, witty, funny, and dangerously single. He waded his way through a flood of giggles, greetings, and caresses to finally reach Barnes, who stood near a shelf, farther from the entrance, with some files in hand, and watched the drama ensue.

“Good Evening!” he said adjusting his shirt and tie. “I’m extremely sorry for being late. I had to take a quick shower and then I got stuck in the traffic…”

“Oh no! It’s totally fine” interrupted Barnes. “I was just going through these folders and stuff too. You don’t have to apologize.”

Rogers pulled two chairs for them to sit down, not far from the huge shelves, and they began talking about paperwork. Barnes explained to him in simple steps, the things expected out of him and where he’d been going wrong. The rules were recently updated and Rogers hadn’t gotten much time to catch up with the amendments and that was why he was having a problem with the records. Barnes also let him in on some loopholes he had discovered, and some common documents which were sufficient and time-saving. They were so engrossed in their discussion, buried in a pile of files, that none of them realized it was 9 pm until a staff member walked up to them and enquired if they needed any assistance.

“No, thank you. We are done for now” answered Rogers. They placed all the files back on the shelves, thanked the lady that offered them help, and left.

They decided to have dinner in a restaurant nearby. Rogers suggested a cozy place he knew and Barnes agreed. It was a family-owned restaurant, around ten minutes away from the facility. The restaurant was small, intimate, and cozy but the food was fabulous. The owner and her wife were the cooks and their children managed the guests and tables. They ordered soup, roasted vegetables, stuffed chicken breasts with a side of mashed potatoes. The meal arrived faster than Barnes expected and they started their meal.

“Thank you so much by the way,” said Rogers

“It’s totally fine Steve. I’m just glad I could help. Also don’t ever mention it”

“You’re a very kind man”

“Well, so are you”

“Yeah right,” he smirked.

“No, really Steve. I was so nervous about working in a new place and with new people… and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep ever since, without feeling anxious about the next day! I feel more comfortable now, thanks to you. I’ll probably sleep well tonight”

“What? Come on Barnes. It is quite normal to feel nervous at a new place but it isn’t worth losing sleep over it. And by the way, you are a part of our team now so don’t worry about it. I am happy that you feel okay now, but don’t ever lose sleep over little things. Also, if you need a bedtime story, just call me. I am good at making things up” he winked.

Barnes started giggling and shaking his head, then continued to eat.

“No seriously, sleep is very important Barnes. It’s like restarting your system, and clearing cache” he paused to look at Barnes, and once he had his full attention continued, “If you didn’t notice, I used computer terms for you to understand.”

“Oh yeah, I see that” Barnes nodded his head heavily, “but this coming from a guy who has a messed-up sleep schedule, works all night, and survives mostly on fast food, is quite inspiring. If you didn’t notice, I was being sarcastic”

“Wow! A comeback huh? I didn’t see that one coming. Impressive!”

“Well, what else did you think of me?” he said feeling smug.

“A genius, surely. You were a direct recommendation from Mr. Carper and that is evidence in itself that you are a genius. Wait a minute, how do you know that I work most nights, and what my eating habits are?” asked Rogers with a concerned look.

“Oh, that was sheerly my luck. I set the bait and you rose to it” he tried sounding as convincing as possible.

“Ah! I see it now” replied Rogers and grabbed the roasted vegetables. With a silly look, he pointed at Barnes and said, “But, you know what? You’re such a nerd.”

“Really?”

“Yup, you are a nerd. Accept it. When you open your mouth, all I hear is big technical words!”

“Um, I don’t need to accept it, Steve, because… I freaking OWN it. I am ‘The Nerd’. So, you eat up, Butterfingers.”

Steve let out an audibly huge gasp and retorted, “How dare you! And for the record, that was the first time something like that has ever happened. I swear to you. I have handled some really sensitive missions and never have I ever dropped something. I have no idea how that happened. Wait, what if it was some kind of a practical joke you were trying to pull?”

“Now I wish I had come with something, because I know you would’ve fallen for it” Barnes sniggered reaching over for the chicken and Rogers pushed it forward coyly. With an alluring look he continued, “But on a serious note though, you need to take care of yourself. Change your eating habits Steve, and stick to a sleeping schedule. I know work is important and everything, but you need to think about your future self too.”

“Hmm… I know where that is coming from and you are right. I need to make some massive changes.”

“Yup, it might be a little difficult in the beginning, but trust me you’ll get used to it. I did” and he shrugged.

Rogers nodded in agreement. They continued eating while having more friendly banters and talked about random things. After finishing the dinner, Rogers introduced Barnes to the owner and her family. They were a friendly bunch and told him how sweet and humble Rogers was, and how he had helped them financially a while ago. It was eleven o’clock when they finally took leave. 

Barnes turned to Steve and with a dear gaze said, “Thank you for the dinner”

“You’re very welcome” he smiled with a slight bow. “See you at work.”

“Yeah, see you. Goodnight Steve”

“Goodnight”

They waved each other bye and headed back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!  
> Do come back for the other chapters!  
> Kudos and comments are most welcome!  
> I'm [observantgal](https://observantgal.tumblr.com) on Tumblr.  
> Feel free to connect with me there as well!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!  
> Do come back for the other chapters!  
> Kudos and comments are most welcome!  
> I'm [observantgal](https://observantgal.tumblr.com) on Tumblr.  
> Feel free to connect with me there as well!


End file.
